One of the questions that I’ve been asked the most by Preferred Members of the Network when it comes to our conferences and conventions is this one: “Are you guys going back to two events next year?”
That question is in reference to the fact that we’ve held six regional conferences this year, as opposed to the two that we’ve held in the recent past—the National Convention and the Fall Conference. One of the reasons that we decided to go to a different format in 2010 is because we wanted to bring our events closer to recruiters in the Network. After all, the economy hasn’t been the greatest, and recruiters are watching every dime they spend.
We’ve been very pleased by the response and the results of our six regional conferences. (The sixth and final event—the one in Columbus, Ohio—is just around the corner, scheduled for Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13.)
However, before I talk more extensively about the Columbus event, I want to make an announcement. That announcement is after much consideration and thought, we’ve decided to return to our previous format for conferences, which is a National Convention and a Fall Conference. But this announcement goes even further than that, because we’ve already chosen the locations for these two events.
The Fall Conference is a rather predictable choice. That’s because for over a decade, whenever we’ve held a Fall Conference, we’ve done so in Chicago. So that should come as no surprise to recruiters who have been in the Network for an appreciable amount of time.
The other location? Traditionally, the National Convention is held in the spring at a warm-weather locale, and that will once again be the case next year. That’s because the location of the 2011 National Convention is Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., specifically The Westin Beach Resort. But wait… there’s more! We also have the dates for next year’s National Convention. Those dates are Thursday, May 12, through Saturday, May 14.
Believe it or not, we have even more exciting news about the National Convention, but that news will have to wait until a future blog post. In the meantime, I’d like to remind everybody that you can still register for the Columbus Conference.
While it’s true that Early Bird Registration for the conference has ended, the cost of Regular Registration is not that much—just $129 per person. (The Early Bird rate was $99 per person.) As we mentioned last week, there are 57 recruiters currently registered for this event, which makes it the most heavily attended of our six regional conferences in 2010.
Not only are there going to be a lot of recruiters in Columbus, there are going to be a lot of Top Producers in Columbus, those recruiters who have enjoyed a ton of success as Preferred Members of Top Echelon Network. Consequently, there will be plenty of opportunities to both network with these recruiters and also to glean valuable information from them. As we all know, some of the most important information at a conference is often exchanged in between formal training sessions, as opposed to during them.
Speaking of formal training, there will be plenty of that, as well. Barb Bruno, CPC/CTS of Good as Gold Training, will be on hand to provide practical advice that recruiters can implement on their desk immediately. The titles of her two sessions are “Create Urgency to Close More Placements” and “Revive Your Niche or Jump-Start a New Niche.”
Not only that, but Top Echelon Internet Strategies Manager Todd Bossler will conduct a special Big Biller training session on Thursday, November 12. Todd will cover all of the new features and benefits of the new version of Big Biller and also answer any of your questions regarding the software. (Please note that the cost to attend this session is $20 per person and is not included in the base price of the conference registration.)
If you have any questions about the Top Echelon Network Columbus Conference—or the registration process—call (330) 455-1433. We hope that you’ll join us in Columbus later this month!